By Kwase Lane [Photo Courtesy of Bandcamp] Q&A with RJ Martin How did you feel about your set? RJ: Easily the best one I’ve played in a while. Not just my playing, I was proud of that, but the crowd, the interactions, all of it. I’ve played a couple of shows at The Union since…
Tag: rj martin
Preview: ACRN Battle Of The Bands
November has rolled around yet again, and you know what that means. There’s a chill in the air, finals are almost here, and most importantly, there’s a battle on the horizon. ACRN’s Battle of the Bands is back, and we’ve got five great competitors ready to compete for your adoration. The event is live, November 11 at The Union, so make sure you don’t miss it.
Movie Review: One Night in Miami…
By RJ Martin, Contributor
[Snoot Entertainment; 2020]
Rating: 8/10
One Night in Miami… is the newest film from director Regina King and writer Kemp Powers, finding both of them honing their craft. This is only Powers’ second big-screen feature after co-directing and writing Pixar’s acclaimed Soul from late last year. The film is adapted from his original 2013 stage play, and it recounts the events of a meeting between four titans in black history: Malcom X, Sam Cooke, Jim Brown and Cassius Clay (later to be Muhammad Ali). They met in celebration after Clay’s legendary victory over Sonny Liston in Miami, Florida.
Album Review: Weezer – OK Human
By: RJ Martin
[Atlantic Records; 2021]
Rating: 6/10
Key tracks: “All My Favorite Songs”, “Here Comes The Rain”, “La Brea Tar Pits”
What if after Green Day proudly proclaimed their most recent album had “no features, no swedish songwriters, no trap beats, just 100% pure uncut rock” it actually turned out to be pretty decent despite the overwhelming snobbery? Well, you don’t have to imagine, because after a lackluster performance on their most recent records, Weezer seems to have done just that. A few weeks ago, ahead of the release of OK Human, the band took to Instagram to explain that the album was made with a time “when humans really mattered and when the dark tech-takeover fantasy didn’t exist” in mind. The album was made all analogue with a ’60s/’70s sound in mind, which isn’t a new concept.
Movie Review: Soul
By RJ Martin, Contributor[Disney; 2020]Rating: 9/10 Over the last year, we’ve had our fair share of eyebrow-raises and eye-rolls at various media trying to make some sort of statement about society in the wake of the pandemic. Pixar’s Soul is a film that actually does it well without even trying to in the first place. …
Records I’m Not Ashamed to Own: ‘The Hunting Party’
It is difficult to understate the importance of Linkin Park’s body of work. The influence they had on rock music at the turn of the century defined the sound of rap metal as well as nu-metal; in fact, they are probably one of the only groups worth mentioning when discussing the former. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to call their first two albums modern classics.
Album Review: Gorillaz – Song Machine
Gorillaz returns with what is perhaps their most ambitious project to date, Song Machine. Instead of a traditional album release format, the album is essentially a collection of singles, as each song is accompanied by an “episode,” lyric video or both on YouTube.
Group Feature: ACRN’s Top 10 Disappointing Albums of 2020
10. Machinedrum — A View of U, [Ninja Tune; 2020]By Lane Moore, Reviews Editor Machinedrum’s A View of U is perhaps the greatest illusion of the millennium. It’s pretty tough to catch, but if you peer into the soul of this album––or make it past track three or four––you will find that A View of…
Records I’m Not Ashamed to Own
By RJ Martin, Music Director Within the landscape of mid-to-late-2000s butt-rock and post-hardcore, there are few acts that rose above the rest and created music that had staying power. In fact, as far as I’m concerned, there may only be one that matters: Avenged Sevenfold. After putting out two independent records and rising to major-label…
Athens’ Brick City Records signs four new artists
By Liz Partsch, Contributor Although Brick City Records first started as a small Ohio University student organization, it has expanded into an official student-run record label. Located in Schoonover Center, the local studio attracts many label submissions every fall semester. Brick City President Maya Nauriyal says that it’s a team decision when it comes to…
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